My Basic Warm-up Routine - Steps

Step One - Stretching
I like to perform basic stretches to loosen up the major muscles and tendons associated with the dart throw. This greatly reduces the time required throwing aimless darts at the board in order to get loose or "feel the dart". Stretching is also a great way to relax and ease any performance anxiety you may experience. This is a widely overlooked important step, but believe me if you get in the habit of stretching you will warm-up faster, more accurately, and with more confidence.

Step Two - The Loosen Up
In this phase I generally just throw darts at the bullseye or 20 wedge. Im not pushing to throw great darts. Basically, all I am lconcentrating on is getting the proper feel of my throw. I don't move from this phase until my stroke feels loose and fluid.

Step Three - Grouping
After I feel loose and everything is meshing properly physically I work on grouping darts. Again I am not stressing to hit strategic targets only to get the darts close to eachother. Generally, I throw the first dart at the 20 wedge and no matter where it lands I then attempt to land the next two darts as close as possible to the first. Once I feel good about my ability to repeat my stroke in this manner I move on to step four.

Step Four - Targets
During this step I concentrate on increasing my focus and picking off targets. The specific target priority changes according to the next event. But for 501 I will generally throw at the common doubles, bullseye, and the 20 wedge. I have no real set goal, but I will generally hit all the targets multiple times in random order. Again I dont move to the next step until I feel comfortable and confident with this phase.

Step Five - Game Situations
I rarely will play other players competitive games during my warm-up period. Instead I like to focus on specific shot combinations during this time. My goal is to simulate crucial situations in matches. I mentally draw a scenerio for myself before each shot and shoot with all the intensity of an actual match. As my accuracy and confidence grow I gradually increase the difficulty on the scenerios. I stay on this step until I feel confident I can overcome any shot that may be presented through the day.

Step Six- The Psych Up
At this point my stroke feels loose and fluid, and I am confident I can hit any target and shot required. This is the time I use to take a mental inventory. I use alot of positive self-talk and set my mind to the competitive mode. In competition, I try to time this to peak immediately before my first match. In practice, Im going to move directly into more advanced routines depending on the day.